She loves him, she loves me not
by ComeComeParadise
Summary: Naruto, I love you, she said. But he shook his head. Sakura chan…you’re wrong. She said that she loved him, but her words were empty. Really, really slight narusaku, but it's REALLY a sasusaku oneshot fic. NO FLAMES ALLOWED!


Hi everyone! ComeComeParadise here with yet another story! This fic is actually a little plot bunny that has been nagging at my mind during the past, oh I don't know, few months maybe? I've been trying to finish my other fic, **My Promise to You** before getting to this one, but well…this idea has REALLY been nagging at me! And also, I'm still planning the next chapter for My Promise to You. So yah. I didn't forget about my other story, I'm just getting this one out of the way! XD So…read, enjoy, and review, please!

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"Sakura-chan…you called me?"

The two shinobi stood together in the darkness. It was late, and the moon was out. The two of them had finished training hours ago.

Sakura glanced at Naruto, her eyes were filled with sorrow. Ever since they returned from and failed their last mission a week ago, she was gloomier than ever. Her mind was waging an inner turmoil that caused her major headaches. Their mission was to retrieve and bring back their missing teammate, and they were unsuccessful.

"Yeah…I'm sorry for bothering you this late at night."

The blonde ninja smiled warmly.

"Don't worry about it. You're my teammate, we don't let little things like this affect our outlook on each other."

_Teammate…_

Memories of Team 7's first meeting in over two years came flooding back to Sakura, and the atmosphere surrounding her and Naruto became gloomier. Sakura remained silent as she relived those memories, and Naruto stood there waiting patiently.

Sasuke had changed so much, and yet so little. He was still power-hungry, and emotionless as ever, but he had _changed_ in the two and a half years. He was certainly more powerful, but that wasn't what had her concerned. During their last reunion, the Sasuke that Sakura came to know and love was a lot more talkative than he was before. And the words that he spoke towards her and Naruto cut her like a sword.

"_I cut off all my bonds with Team 7…"_

And yet…when Sasuke said that, she saw the same twelve year old boy that she fell in love with. He still was desperately trying to convince himself that he didn't need his teammates' help, and ultimately, he was still lonely.

"Naruto…I…"

"Sakura-chan…"

There before her stood Naruto, the loudmouth that she came to rely on the most. She smiled at him a forced smile, while her head throbbed from the headache she was suffering from. She was confused, to say the least. Too much thinking on delicate matters and one's own most sensitive issues does that to a person.

The two of them had gotten a lot closer during the past months, and she's been seeing him in a new light. They were both training to bring back their missing teammate, and while their reasons may or may not have been the same, together, they were working towards the same goal. It was through them working together that Sakura began to truly recognize the boy that she used to scold when they were just genins.

"…I-I just wanted to tell you th-that I love you…"

An awkward silence surrounded the air like the darkness in a chamber surrounding a lone candle. Naruto, who had been chasing Sakura during the past few years was taken quite aback by her sudden confession.

"…"

His mind was racing, and his heart was uncertain. Sakura told him that she loved him, and he heard her words. The thing is…he didn't _feel _anything coming from her.

Painful realization hit him, and the young blonde ninja smiled a painful smile. She said that she loved him, but her words were empty.

"Sakura-chan…you're wrong."

Sakura's head shot up as she gasped.

"H-how can you say that? I said that I loved you, what do you mean I'm wrong?"

The kyuubi container shook his head slowly.

"Your words are empty, Sakura-chan. They mean nothing if you don't have the emotions to back them up…"

"Baka—"

"—'I love you' is a powerful statement, and when said with meaning, it can truly make one happy. But…if one doesn't mean it, and says it anyway…you end up hurting the other person more than you mean to."

"Naruto…I—"

The pink-haired kunoichi was cut off by her teammate pointing at her heart.

Sakura lowered her gaze and brought her hand up to the source of all her emotions. Her voice softened.

"But Naruto…I really do care about you…"

Naruto smiled.

"I know that…and I care about you too. But the thing is…do you _really _love me?"

Sakura looked up. Emerald eyes met cobalt, and cobalt eyes met emerald. Sakura was unable to answer.

_What is wrong with me?_ She thought to herself. _I just told Naruto that I loved him earlier…why can't I just say it again?_ Ba-bump…Sakura looked down and remembered her hand, which was still lying over her heart.

"_But…if one doesn't mean it, and says it anyway…you end up hurting the other person more than you mean to."_

Sakura resisted the urge to slap herself. She didn't want to hurt Naruto at all. He was her teammate, and she truly cared about him. _That's right…he's my **teammate**, and teammates **care** for each other._ Sakura's head continued to throb. She was confused, now more than ever.

"_Sakura…you don't know this but in reality you—"_

Yamato's voice echoed throughout her head. Her hand that was lying on her heart was not clutching her painful head.

Naruto continued speaking.

"You still love Sasuke, Sakura-chan. There's no denying that."

"_Sasuke-kun! I love you with all my heart!"_

Her _own_ voice resounded throughout her mind. She shook her head violently in a useless attempt to erase all the sudden thoughts and throbbing. Unable to bear the pain any longer, Sakura collapsed on her knees and began to cry.

Naruto, seeing his pretty teammate in such agony looked at her sympathetically. He crouched down beside her.

"Sakura-chan, you're always so quick to tears…"

He placed a hand reassuringly on her back. Sakura began to speak between her sobs.

"N-Naruto…I'm so sorry…I'm just so…confused…"

"…"

The said man began to laugh light-heartedly.

"Don't worry about it Sakura-chan, it happens to everyone!"

"…"

The pink-haired kunoichi looked up at her teammate in amazement. Was he trying to be optimistic and happy even after she hurt him with such meaningless words? She roughly wiped her tears away, and cleared her throat.

"Naruto…"

The blonde dobe stopped laughing and glanced at his teammate.

"…eh?"

A gust of wind blew by, and Sakura smiled.

"…thanks…"

Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, you'd still be a mess if it weren't for me."

"…"

Sakura sighed. _Whenever I thank him verbally he just brushes it all off…_

"Sakura-chan…we still need to bring Sasuke back."

The cherry blossom tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded.

"…and we'll bring him back together."

"Yeah…"

The two partners sat beside each other for a little while longer before walking separate ways. They had a full day of training ahead of them, and they needed their rest. As the two of them parted directions, Sakura decided to take the longer route back to her home. It took her right by the bench where Sasuke had left her two and a half years ago, and it had been a while since she last visited the spot on her own free will.

She looked up at the sky, admiring the view. Sakura mentally noted that the moon was a crescent moon. By the time she arrived at the bench, her headache began to feel a lot better than it did before. She ran her fingers slowly over the cool concrete of the bench and smiled a nostalgic smile, as she mentally thanked Naruto yet again for helping her clear her confusion. After running her fingers over the bench once more, Sakura succumbed to exhaustion and sat down on the bench. Once again, she looked up at the crescent moon above her, as she remembered that there was a crescent moon the night he left the village as well. She sat there on her own, thinking of her conversation with Naruto, and Team 7's missing member.

_The Sasuke-kun that I love is still there, buried deep inside the Sasuke-kun we met not too long ago. He's just…hiding…and I will do whatever it takes to bring him back home—here, where he truly belongs…_

The pink-haired kunoichi continued to sit there until her growing drowsiness finally got the best of her. She fell asleep on the same bench that night with a smile, and her dreams were filled with memories of the old Team 7…and Sasuke.

THE END.

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

ZOMG, that didn't turn out as good as I hoped it would…and I feel really bad for Naruto now…but I still hoped that you guys liked it! So yah. Please remember to **REVIEW! **

And…

**NO FLAMES ALLOWED!**

**Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are NOT.**


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